Mark 9

Mark 9:9-50

Subdivision 4. (Mark 9:9-50.)God’s way for us and our way. We have now the way put before us in its moral features, along with that which experience does not permit us to make marvel of, the contrast of our own ways naturally. Two things are specially insisted on here, the second of which is involved in the first: faith, - which, putting God in His place, puts me in mine; and lowliness, which is just the taking this creature-place before God. As a foundation principle of the path itself we find, what the disciples as yet could not enter into, and in the Gospels could not be much more than hinted at, - resurrection; which is twice declared here as to the Lord Himself, but the application of it to disciples is left for us to make. This part closes with a most solemn affirmation of a day of recompense, - the most emphatic, perhaps, that we find in Scripture.

1. As they come down with Him from the mount of transfiguration; the Lord charges the three who have been admitted to this wondrous sight to say nothing of it to any one until the Son of man is risen from among the dead. At this, though He has already plainly spoken of it, they are perplexed. A rising from among the dead is a thing strange to them, though resurrection itself was an accepted truth. This is now the Christian form of it, the Lord Himself being the firstfruits and pattern. No such application is as yet made of it however: only the Son of man is to arise alone on the third day. It is a foundation of our faith that He has done this. But the disciples have a question they would fain put. How is it that the scribes say that Elias must come before Messiah’s day? They know that here is Messiah. The Lord answers that indeed Elias must come first and restore all things. And how is it written; on the other hand, that the Son of man must suffer many things and be set at nought? That did not look like coming after all things were restored. And yet in fact there had been a coming of Elias, - one who had come in such a spirit and power. But that light had gone out: they had done to him according to their will; and so the Son of man would suffer also. Thus a world contrary, and power in the meantime with it, a path leading down to death, with resurrection as the answer of God beyond: these are the features of the way traveled by the Lord, and upon which His disciples follow Him.
2. The power of Satan has also to be reckoned with; but the enemy here is one already vanquished, and faith only is needed for full deliverance. Faith, alas, may be lacking so that power which has been given may not be available. The child brought to the Lord has been already in the hands of those who were expressly authorized to cast out demons; yet they have only shown their incompetency in this case to do anything. It is over these He groans as an unbelieving generation, though still there is a resource in Himself, however much disciples fail. Here, as He says to the father of the child, “all things are possible to him that believeth.” Mark emphasizes the malignity of the demon and the long time of possession.

After he is gone out, the child seems for the moment dead; but Jesus takes him by the hand and he rises up. To His disciples He says that so virulent a case could yield only to prayer and fasting. But how great is the encouragement in such an enemy so certainly to be vanquished. The demand for faith to be in energy is no abate, meat of the blessing. 3. Next we have once more the pressing of death and resurrection, possibly in a wider circle than before. There is no comment upon it, except that “they understood not and were afraid to ask Him.” How many things we are disposed to shirk after this manner; and in doing so lose, as far as we can, our own best blessings. By and by, this death and resurrection will be the staple of the gospel that they everywhere proclaim; and beyond this still, new glories will develop in it: Christians will learn and rejoice to realize that they are dead and risen with Christ. This repetition of the announcement of Christ’s death may, as I have said, point to that which could not yet be uttered. As a principle of the walk, for us it is of primary importance. To “walk in Christ,” involves of necessity the being risen with Him; and this is the only Christian standard. 4. Grace has put us in such a place, and only grace could do it. There is no possible room for the thought of merit in our gaining that which man in innocence could never have pretended to, and which makes our whole life henceforth but a thank-offering for it. Faith is that by which we regain what we had lost in the fall, the place of creature nothingness before God, with the sense also of our guilt in having lost it. Thus there should be for us no claim of greatness any more, while the glorious example before our eyes of One who became for us a servant in His love, self-humbled, poor, emptied of the glory proper to Him, should rid us of all desire of self-exaltation. Yet, alas, the next thing that we read of after His announcement of the death to which He is going, is an unseemly strife among the disciples as to who should be the greater. The Lord meets it promptly. The desire to be first would only qualify one to be last, and servant of all. Then He takes a little child, young enough to be taken up in the arms, and tells them that He could link His Name with one like that. Nay, here was the type of what He could identify Himself with. He who received one such little child in His Name received Himself, and thus the Father also. Before God indeed, what is the man beyond the babe? Only the happy thing is to recognize it. John thereupon tells Him, as inviting His judgment on it, how they had found one casting out demons in His Name and had forbidden him as not following them. Here, too, the spirit of meekness had been lacking. They who had but so lately failed (spite of having authority) to cast out a demon; should have known that one who could do so must have some title. Christ’s name was not a thing that one could conjure with. There must have been some reverence for that Dame which could use it as a word of power against Satan. Such an one could not turn quickly round from this to speak evil of Christ.

But among men there were only opposing ranks: he who was not against was for Him. And he who thought so of Christ’s name as to give but a cup of water to one who belonged to Him, should not in any wise lose his reward. 5. The Lord passes from this to speak of recompense upon the other side in the same manner but with more emphasis than in Matthew. Every one must be salted with fire: for “our God is a consuming fire.” This jealous holiness by its judgment of the evil would only preserve the good: for, when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. On the other hand, for the wicked the salting with fire applies to the awful judgment of Gehenna, “where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.” Here the holiness of God as pure wrath upon sin, eternal as His unchanging nature, unites with the undying worm of a remorseful conscience to torment the sinner. Ah, better surely to give up what may seem necessary as eye or hand or foot, live here in whatever maimed, imperfect way, and enter into life, than; having here the fulness of all good, pass on to the eternal fire! But “every sacrifice shall be salted with salt:” that which is to be presented to God must answer to His nature; there must be “the salt of the covenant of thy God,” as the law puts it, or what must be in all relationship with Him. Salt is the energy of devotedness to God which keeps out corruption: “salt,” therefore, “is good,” and if it lose its power, what shall replace it? Salt, therefore, we must have in ourselves. It will diffuse its savor round, of course: if it has any, it will surely do so. But this is ministering, not requiring. We must be jealous over ourselves - careful, of course, to maintain this character in all our intercourse with others; but in peace - so easily broken by a legal and exacting spirit: “have peace one with another.”